-LRB- Mental Floss -RRB- -- We all know about the Confederate states leaving the Union . But that was far from the only secessionist movement in American history . Here are some rebellious regions you wo n't find in too many history books .

This map shows some rebellious regions that have tried to seceed from the United States .

1 . The Kingdom of Beaver Island

Beaver Island , a small island in Lake Michigan , became the home of Mormon leader James Strang and his followers -- called Strangites -- in 1848 . Two years later , Strang declared himself king of the church -- complete with crown , scepter , robe , and a harem of 15 wives .

However , most of the island 's inhabitants were his followers , so he essentially became King of Beaver Island . The power got to his head , and he began forcing his rule onto the non-believers , causing some violence between the two factions .

In 1856 , the USS Michigan pulled into the harbor and invited Strang aboard . As he was walking towards the ship , he was shot in the back by disgruntled followers , who then ran up the gangplank and escaped . Adding to the mysterious circumstances , the assassins were set ashore on nearby Mackinac Island and never charged for their crime .

Shortly after the assassination , angry mobs from surrounding islands eventually forced the Strangites from their homes , thus ending the short-lived Kingdom of Beaver Island .

2 . The state of Superior

Concern over a perceived lack of interest from the Michigan state government , the people of the Upper Peninsula -LRB- U.P. -RRB- , affectionately known as `` Yoopers , '' have been trying to secede and form the State of Superior since as far back as 1897 .

The movement gained momentum after 1957 when a bridge connecting the U.P. region to Lower Michigan made it easier for southern `` Trolls '' -LRB- people who live `` below the bridge '' -RRB- and Yoopers to mingle . This animosity continued into the mid-1980s , when 20,000 signatures were collected and submitted to the state for a secession request .

However , the number was shy of the 36,000 required , and the request subsequently denied . The secessionist drive lives on today , as numerous grassroots organizations are trying to muster support for another official attempt at an independent U.P. Until that day comes , though , the Yoopers and Trolls will just have to try to get along .

3 . The Great Republic of Rough and Ready

Rough and Ready , California , was a mining town founded in 1849 by the Rough and Ready Company of Wisconsin . As the town 's population rapidly exploded to 3,000 , lawlessness was on the rise -- and the U.S. government was not much help squelching the rampant crime . Mental Floss : Three controversial maps

Additionally , a new federal tax on mining operations added fuel to the region 's civil unrest . Seeing little support from Washington , on April 7 , 1850 , the townspeople voted to secede from the Union .

But just three months later , as the Fourth of July approached , The Great Republic of Rough and Ready wanted to have a celebration -LRB- which seems odd considering they were no longer technically Americans -RRB- . When nearby Nevada City would n't sell liquor to `` foreign miners , '' it was decided that maybe America was n't so bad after all . The townspeople voted themselves back into the Union on the very same day and the party went off as planned .

4 . The Conch Republic

In the early-1980s , the U.S. Border Patrol set up a checkpoint at the entrance to the Florida Keys in an effort to stop illegal drugs and immigrants . The time to check everyone 's identification at the checkpoint resulted in a 20-mile traffic jam that turned tourists away , thus damaging the economy in the Keys .

After numerous legal attempts to have the checkpoint removed , on April 23 , 1982 , Key West mayor Dennis Wardlow declared the Florida Keys were seceding from the Union .

Moments later , now-Prime Minister Wardlow symbolically declared war on the U.S. by breaking a stale piece of Cuban bread over the head of a man dressed in a U.S. Navy uniform . One minute later , Wardlow turned to the Admiral in charge of the U.S. Naval Base at Key West and surrendered , thus ending the Conch Republic 's Civil Rebellion . He then immediately asked for $ 1 billion in federal aid to help rebuild his war-torn nation 's economy .

While officially the Republic only existed for one minute , the tongue-in-cheek spirit of the rebellion lives on . Today you can buy Conch Republic citizen and diplomatic passports -LRB- both of which have been used for international travel , though they are not intended to be official documents -RRB- and even an official flag of the republic -LRB- complete with the awesome motto , `` We seceded where others failed '' -RRB- . The community has even minted a series of limited edition one-conch dollar coins that can be used as legal tender while in the Keys .

5 . The State of Absaroka

Feeling that the Democratic southern half of Wyoming was not working in conjunction with the rest of the state , a secessionist movement was launched by northern Republicans in 1939 to create a new state that would better serve its more conservative population .

This state , Absaroka -- so named after the nearby mountain range -- was to be made up of northern Wyoming , southeast Montana , and the western region of South Dakota . While the secessionist movement was never very large or pursued through legal channels , that did n't stop A. R. Swickard , the street commissioner of Sheridan , Wyoming , from appointing himself governor of the `` state . ''

The movement went so far as to press Absaroka license plates and crown a Miss Absaroka beauty queen . Absaroka could even brag about a visit from a foreign dignitary , King Haakon VII of Norway -LRB- though he was officially visiting Wyoming and just happened to be in Absaroka -RRB- .

Despite all of the hoopla , the state never came to be , and now , so many years later , the intent of the secessionist movement is in question . Some believe there was a genuine attempt to create a new state , while others say it was just a fun way for cowboys to distract themselves during tough economic times .

6 . The State of Jefferson

Northern California and southern Oregon have been trying to merge since 1852 . The attempts have been met with mixed results , though the `` State of Jefferson '' movement of 1941 came closest to making it happen .

The region felt it was being ignored by their respective state legislatures , so in response the people created the `` State of Jefferson Citizen 's Committee '' to explore the possibilities of secession . The group began stopping cars on Highway 99 to hand out the state 's `` Proclamation of Independence , '' a pamphlet outlining the grievances they held and the solutions they proposed .

To help rally their cause , they developed a state flag made up of a gold miner 's pan with two black X 's inside , representing the double-cross they felt the Oregon and California state governments had pulled . Mental Floss : Thomas Jefferson

On December 4 , 1941 , Judge John Childs was elected governor of Jefferson in the state 's temporary capital of Yreka , California . The event was filmed by numerous newsreel companies who were set to air the footage during the week of December 8 .

History had other plans , as the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor the day before the big premiere . Driven by a sense of national obligation , the Jefferson secession was put aside and never really regained momentum . While the official movement might have died out , the residents of this region still hold the concept in their hearts , with many identifying themselves even today as the population of the great state of Jefferson .

7 . The McDonald Territory

Noel , Missouri , located in McDonald County in the far southwest corner of the Show Me State , has been a popular tourist destination for many years . Therefore , when the Missouri State Highway Commission left Noel off their annual `` Family Vacationland '' map in 1961 , the region was not happy pleased .

To display their dissatisfaction , McDonald County drew up papers of secession and presented them to the state legislature , declaring itself the independent McDonald Territory . The county went so far as to elect officials , form a territorial militia , and even printed up visas that were issued to visitors so they could travel throughout the territory .

Perhaps the most lasting impression were the thousands of McDonald Territory stamps that were printed and sold throughout the area . While most agree that the secession was done purely for publicity , the state of Missouri was n't necessarily happy about the type of publicity it was garnering .

So in order to end this mock rebellion , the state declared that state employee retirement pension payments would be suspended for McDonald County , all current state employees would be fired , and all state funding would be withheld . Needless to say , McDonald Territory surrendered and returned to being simply McDonald County , Missouri , once again .

And here 's one more secessionist movement that 's been in the news this year . From 1995 to 2002 -LRB- except for a few months in 2000 -RRB- , Alaska 's First Dude Todd Palin was a member of the Alaska Independence Party . Fellow Mental Floss writer Jeff Fleischer has the story on the AIP :

8 . Alaska

For decades , a well-organized separatist movement has campaigned to turn America 's largest state into its own nation . The bitterness dates back to 1958 , when Alaska 's citizens were given a simple yes-or-no vote on statehood .

Many Alaskans felt they were denied more options on the issue , prompting a land developer named Joe Vogler to organize a re-vote that would offer Alaskans four possibilities -- remain a territory , become a state , take commonwealth status , or become a separate nation .

Using the vote as his platform , Vogler ran for governor in 1974 -- and soon made a habit of it . With colorful slogans such as , `` I 'm an Alaskan , not an American . I 've got no use for America or her damned institutions , '' Vogler spearheaded the Alaskan Independence Party -LRB- AIP -RRB- , and his campaign has twice topped 5 percent of the vote . Mental Floss : Nine modern-day independence movements

More surprisingly , former U.S. interior secretary Wally Hickel got elected governor on the AIP ticket in 1990 . Unfortunately for the party , Hickel only ran on the ticket because he lost the Republican primary . Never a supporter of the plebiscite idea , Hickel left the AIP and rejoined the Republicans in 1994 .

Today , the AIP continues to draw about 4 percent of voters statewide . And in 2006 , Alaska took part in the first-ever North American Secessionist Convention , joining other groups from Vermont , Hawaii , and the South . As for Vogler , he was murdered in 1993 -- reportedly the result of an argument over a business deal .

On a brighter note , honoring his wish to never be buried in U.S. soil , Vogler was laid to rest in Canada 's Yukon Territory .

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Mormon leader James Strang named himself king of Beaver Island , Michigan

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Key West mayor declared Florida Keys were seceding from Union in 1982

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Northern California and southern Oregon have been trying to merge since 1852

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`` Yoopers '' and `` Trolls '' are forced to get along in Michigan